From the author of

From the author of

This brief article sums up the results of a survey of all the IT
certification programs and credentials I could identify as of September, 2003.
As is often the case when large amounts of data are collected and analyzed, the
results involve some interpretation that can possibly skew the results reported.
That's why I explain how I came up with my numbers as well as sharing those
numbers with you. Table 1 describes the overall populations surveyed; Table 2
shows the relative proportions of credentials and their recertification
requirements (or lack thereof). Most of this article concentrates on explaining
how Table 2 is broken out and what its numbers mean.

My sources for data included the certification databases at
CramSession,
GoCertify,
Certmag.com (Certification
Magazine), and CertCities.
I surveyed certifications from 109 distinct companies, associations, or
organizations; and I uncovered a total of 467 certification programs with a
total of 1,102 certification credentials in all. But because one single
companyBrainBenchaccounts
for 448 certifications in five programs, I also report an adjusted count that
omits these items because by themselves, that single collection of certs
accounts for nearly 41 percent of the total credential count. Because this
represents a more substantial chunk of the total than any other single player
(IBM comes in a distant second
with 8 programs and 126 credentials; that latter number is only about 11 percent
of the total), it seemed reasonable to report counts that excluded Brainbench,
as well as those including Brainbench.

Item

Raw Count

Adj Count

Sponsors

109

108

Programs

467

462

Credentials

1102

654

Table 1. Overall Survey Counts

NOTE

Brainbench offers a staggering 448 certifications in five programs. I also
provide adjusted numbers without those counts.

Where Certification Programs Stack Up On Recert/Maintenance

Analyzing the data requires recognizing that it's not only possible that
certification sponsors may either require some form of credential maintenance or
may simply have no recertification requirements at all. Alas, there's a
huge grey area between programs with explicit maintenance or timed
requalification requirements and programs that currently require no credential
maintenance whatsoever. Therefore, let me explain some terms and share some
observations about programs that include explicit credential maintenance
requirements and the grey area where credential maintenance (or upgrade) is
implied, but not always explicitly required.

Table 2 reports three categories for credential requirements:

Timed. Credentials not only come with specific maintenance
requirements, but also come with expiration dates. For example, this category
includes credentials such as the Cisco CCNA, which expires three years after
it's granted (unless maintenance requirements are met), the Cisco CCIE,
which expires in two years (unless maintenance requirements are met), and the
ISC2 CISSP, which expires in three years (unless continuing education
requirements are met).

Version-related. Credentials are tied to specific versions of
systems or software. Some such programs require credential holders to recertify
or meet maintenance requirements to continue to claim their certifications over
time; others simply assume that because credentials are associated with specific
releases or versions, their holders will recertify (or upgrade) when newer
releases or versions replace older ones in the marketplace.

None or not available (N/A). In this case, either the sponsor
explicitly states that no maintenance is required or there's no information
about maintenance (and the sponsor did not respond to my requests for
information on this topic, leading me to assume that no maintenance requirements
are currently defined).

For the record, credential maintenance is my term for any activity
required to keep certification credentials current. Across all the programs and
credentials I surveyed, this includes one or more of the following for most
programs with explicit maintenance requirements:

Further testing. Includes retesting, upgrade, or recertification
exams.

Activity reporting. Requires certified professionals to describe
maintenance activities or efforts, continuing employment in the field of
certification, and numerous other items that vary from program to
program.

Annual fees. Or any of a number of mechanisms that sponsors use to
enforce ongoing activity and involvement with specific programs and
credentials.